Epilogue
T he Duke of Strathmore put on a Christmas ball every year, and this year was no different.
Alfred insisted upon it. He proclaimed it was his duty to uphold the tradition that had been started long before he assumed the title.
Guests came from neighboring counties to attend.
News of his accident had spread far and wide and he refused to allow rumors of his imminent demise to run rampant.
He was still convalescing but none of the guests he greeted would have known it, had they not already been aware.
He endured in the receiving line with Kit, David, and Jenny and welcomed every guest.
A closer inspection might reveal how he stood stiffer than usual thanks to the binding secured around his ribcage.
Lines of tension bracketed his mouth. His steps were measured and deliberate and he purposely stood rather than sitting.
Jenny had noticed all of these things, so she was particularly surprised when he claimed the first dance.
“This isn’t necessary, Alfred,” she whispered as he led her to the dance floor. She’d been saying this to him for days, but he wouldn’t hear of cancelling the ball or having anyone think he wasn’t up to this performance he insisted on giving.
“But it is, my dear,” he said easily as he led them to the center of the ballroom .
It was a grand room in one of the far corners of the house. Several large chandeliers lit the space beautifully. A large fir tree had been brought inside and decorated for the occasion. Smaller trees and ferns created small conversation areas but the focus was on the dance floor.
Jenny was accustomed to attention, but she felt rather conspicuous tonight as the first strains of music filled the air.
Alfred bowed to her gingerly and she curtsied.
The first dance was a traditional quadrille so they were joined by Kit and Fanny.
Lord Ballachulish had graciously relinquished her for the first dance.
Cora and Devonworth, along with Eliza and Simon, who’d returned from their wedding trip, were across from them.
Many guests filled in other square formations, but it seemed that far more were relegated to the corners of the room to watch.
They were watching because, aside from her wedding, this was the family’s first formal presentation.
They were watching because they wanted to see for themselves if the duke truly accepted his unacceptable American relatives.
And they were watching because Alfred’s own health had been the subject of much concern.
No one would dare look away from what might be the biggest spectacle of the year.
“Smile, darling, or they might suspect you’re anxious about it all,” her mother leaned around Kit to whisper, a brilliant smile on her face.
She was right. Jenny smiled and immediately felt lighter. She needed to think of this as any other performance and simply play her part. On that note, her gaze immediately sought out David.
He was lounging in the far corner of the room, entertaining an ancient baron and his equally ancient wife.
They were distant relatives who might have glared at Jenny in disapproval when she’d met them this morning but they’d been nothing but kind to her since their audience with Alfred in the afternoon, leaving her to wonder if she’d imagined their hostility.
That wasn’t the first time she’d encountered such a phenomenon.
It was a regular occurrence but Alfred had a way of smoothing things over.
No one wanted to upset him, and as soon as it became apparent that he supported her rather than merely tolerated her, they changed their tune.
Perhaps he’d been right all along. This ball, along with this dance, was important for many reasons.
For his part, David’s gaze immediately found her, as if he sensed her need for him.
She could feel the heat of his eyes across the distance and a frisson of warmth skated up her spine.
He’d hinted that he’d give her a Christmas present tonight in private.
Jewelry, he’d said, and stared pointedly at her bosom.
She thought it might be the nipple piercing he’d mentioned their first night together.
Excitement swirled inside her. She almost missed a step at the thought and forced her attention back to the dance.
The musicians played for over five minutes, leading the dancers in a rhythm that saw Jenny and the other women weave in and out and around the men.
By some unspoken decree, the men kept their steps smaller and less enthusiastic to account for Alfred’s injury.
But it didn’t seem to matter, because by the end, Jenny and her sisters were laughing and enjoying themselves.
A year ago, they would not have been fit to attend this ball, but everything had changed.
They were welcome here and could be themselves.
When the music ended, Jenny curtsied to the group and then took Alfred’s arm as he led her to where he’d spend the rest of the evening watching over the festivities.
The guests parted for them, clearing a path the entire way.
Alfred smiled and tipped his head, but to Jenny he said, “Hathaway contacted me.”
“What?” She nearly stumbled, but he covered her hand on his arm with his and kept his pace steady.
“He asked if I could arrange a sponsorship for a child named Agnes. ”
Agnes was Mr. Hathaway’s daughter with his wife. She was probably around sixteen or seventeen, old enough that her family would begin arranging her coming out. Did her parents plan to marry her off to an Englishman?
“What did you tell him?” she asked.
“I told him that I would not aid in his endeavor to marry off another one of his children for his own gain.”
No one knew for certain Mr. Hathaway was her father. She was certain her mother hadn’t told Alfred, which meant…“Did David tell you?”
“I’m no fool,” he stated smoothly. “David told me nothing.”
He’d known all this time and he’d allowed their marriage. Before she could process that, he continued, “I further suggested that he not contact me again with any requests that might upset you.”
“Your Grace…” She didn’t know what to say and her feet had stopped cooperating.
Alfred stopped and turned to face her, uncaring that the people nearest them were doing their best to pretend not to watch.
He raised a hand to her cheek and said, “David loves you, which means I love you, my dear. You will always have my full support, even when it comes to standing up to those who would mean you harm…especially when it means that.”
Tears clogged her throat and made her eyes ache. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He nodded and led them through the crowd. The rest of their group was already waiting for them. David’s brow lowered in concern when he saw her face and he rushed to her. “What happened?”
Kit went to Alfred’s side .
“Nothing.” Jenny shook her head, fighting back the tears. “They’re tears of happiness. Your brother has been incredibly kind and I am overcome.”
David immediately relaxed and put an arm around her, his attention going to his brother, where he was surrounded by her mother and sisters. He laughed at the sight; a lion surrounded by the Dove family competing to see to his comfort.
“He secretly hates me for this,” David whispered.
“He doesn’t.” Jenny laughed. “He secretly loves it.”
The jaunty strains of a waltz started up. “Come dance with me,” her husband said.
“I would but I promised Kit my first waltz.”
David squeezed her hand and they both looked over to see that Kit was occupied with coordinating the group of women in the best way to help Alfred. One had been sent off for champagne, while another was to commandeer a padded chair that everyone knew Alfred would ultimately refuse.
“Something tells me he won’t mind,” David said and the decision was taken out of her hands as he led her back to the dance floor.
Once there, he swung her into his arms and they joined the couples already in the midst of the waltz. “Does this mean you won’t dance with me again? I requested they play ‘The Blue Danube’ later.”
“Our first dance.” He smiled arrogantly.
“You remember!”
He laughed and swung her around before pulling her close again. “How could I forget? It was the moment I knew I loved you.”
“No, you said that was the night in the carriage.”
He shook his head. “I lied because I didn’t think you’d believe me. It was the first time I held you in my arms.”
She stared at him doubtfully .
“To be fair, I didn’t know what it was I was feeling. I was too stupid to recognize love then. I simply knew that you had me in your thrall. But it was love. I can see that now.”
“I don’t know if I should believe you.”
“Doesn’t matter.” The dance dictated that they part but they were back together a moment later. “I have the rest of our lives to convince you.”
Jenny was looking forward to every moment of it. “But if you dance with me twice, it will look gauche,” she said, going back to their earlier conversation.
David threw back his head and laughed, garnering the attention of several of the other couples. “It will look as if I love my wife, which I do.”
She smiled and said, “It’s unfashionable.”
“More unfashionable than kissing your wife in the midst of a ball?”
She frowned because that had never happened. But then he pulled her close, making them stop right there in the middle of the dancers crowded around them. Lord David Felding kissed his opera singer wife until she was breathless.
***
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